Don't You Remember?
by GreenAppleDragons
Summary: The revolution is over. Androids are slowly but surely being accepted as equal. Alive. But that doesn't mean the problems have ended. With Simon's memory processor damaged and riots against androids, the members of Jericho once again have to fight for their safety and freedom.
1. Chapter 1

The year is 2038, and androids have been given rights after a long battle. The leader of this battle, Markus, and his boyfriend are laying on top of Jericho and staring at the stars. Simon had his head rested on his boyfriend's chest, snuggling close. Markus sighed, even though he doesn't need to breathe. "So much has changed…" He said softly. "Last time we were here… the world seemed so different."

Simon was silent for a moment, his LED turning yellow. "...What do you mean?" He asked, confused. "We haven't… Come up here before?"

Markus looked down at his boyfriend, looking concerned. "Yes we have…? Not long after I came to Jericho. Remember?"

Simon shifted so he could see Markus's face, looking for any sign that he was joking. "...Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. It was where we had our first kiss. Do you… really not remember?" Markus asked, sounding hurt even though he knew that Simon didn't mean to forget; if he forgot, it was a problem with his programming.

Simon looked down, his brow furrowing. His LED started flickering rapidly between yellow and red as he searched every bit of his memory database. "I...I don't...I c-can't...when did…" he frantically tried to remember when their first kiss was, but the memory had somehow escaped him.

Simon's eyes started to well with tears, something he didn't even think was possible, as he was not aware he even had tear ducts. Markus was also startled at the fact that somehow there was clear thirium running down Simon's face.

"Simon, Simon, it's okay," Markus panicked and shakily brought his hands up to Simon's face, wiping the tears off his face and analyzing it. "Thirium…?" He barely whispered.

Simon sniffled and forced out a weak chuckle. "Is that- is that really what you're worried about right now?" He bit his lip, trying to hold back his tears.

Markus shook his head slightly. "Sorry…" He whispered. "Look, Simon, it's-... It's okay. It's alright that you don't remember." Markus couldn't deny that he was upset about it, but he didn't want to worry Simon more. "I mean- it's not like it's that big of a deal." It really is, though. "What's important is that you don't lose more memories. Have you run a self-diagnostic recently?"

Simon shook his head, trying to collect himself. He trusted Markus and was comfortable around him, but that didn't mean that he wanted to cry in front of him more than he already had. The two had been through so much together, and Simon didn't want a stupid memory malfunction to be the thing to make him fall apart. Simon closed his eyes and ran a self-diagnostic. He was an older model, so it took longer than some other androids might, but it was still done in under a minute. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Markus. "My-... My memory processor is damaged. It's been slowly losing data for a while…" He felt himself getting choked up again, and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Markus sighed and closed his eyes, but wrapped his arms around Simon, trying to comfort him. "It's okay, Simon. It's alright. Relax…" He said as he started gently playing with the other android's blonde hair. "We'll go to CyberLife, they'll be able to fix it. It's okay…" He was trying to comfort himself just as much as he was trying to comfort Simon.

Simon stiffened when he heard Markus's idea of going to CyberLife, and he shook his head quickly. "I- I can't-... They're the reason we've gone through all of this, Markus. They're the reason we worked as slaves for all these years." He paused for a while. "There… There has to be another way. I don't want to go back there. I can't."

Markus looked at Simon incredulously. "Simon, that… That wasn't just a _suggestion_, I'm saying you _need _to go to CyberLife. You've already lost memories, I don't want you to lose more." He said, panic seeping into his voice.

Simon hesitated for a while, his LED blinking red. "We can find another way." He whispered finally.

"Simon-" Markus let out an exasperated sigh. "_Please_. You can't just let this happen… I-... I can't…" He shook his head slightly. "I can't have you forget me. I… don't know what I'd do. Promise me you won't forget me."

Simon hesitated, then nodded. "Of course. I promise."

"That settles it then. We are going to CyberLife, and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind." Markus said firmly. "I am sure the others at Jericho would say the same. C'mon, Simon, trust me. It'll be simple, we'll be in and out before you know it. I won't let anything bad happen to you or anyone else. I'll get us out, we just need a plan."

Simon closed his eyes, his LED flickering between red and yellow. "...Okay. I trust you, Markus."

"I'll gather the team and we can start planning then, let's head back inside so we can tell the others."

The two walked inside, then Markus called Josh and North to the upper floor to meet with him and Simon. The two seemed slightly confused, but nonetheless willing to come. Simon couldn't help but notice the way North looked at Markus, and he felt a pang of jealousy as he looked away. He had other things to worry about, more important than him worrying about North. "Simon has been losing memories." Markus said simply, looking at their friends for their reactions. The two seemed mildly surprised, but didn't say anything. "We need to go to CyberLife to get a new memory processor."

"But we can't trust them. You of all people should know that, Markus." North said harshly.

"Exactly. That's why we aren't just going to walk in there and tell them why we're there. We can request parts for the injured androids here and more thirium since our last stock is running low." Markus said calmly, trying to pacify North's lingering anger. "While we distract them, one of us can sneak away and look for a memory processor compatible for Simon." He looked at Simon with a loving gaze when he said this. "We'll be in and out without a problem."

"Yeah, okay, sure." North said skeptically. "Who's gonna' get the part?"

The androids were silent for a moment. It was obvious that Markus hadn't come up with the specifics of his plan yet. "...I'll get the part." Simon finally said, his voice soft.

Markus's eyes widened and he looked back at Simon. "Simon, no- it's too dangerous. I don't want to risk you getting caught. I'll get it. You stay safe."

"Markus…" Simon blushed slightly. He wasn't quite used to Markus being this sweet to him in front of the others, and it was almost embarrassing. Not that he minded. "I'll be able to know which processor is compatible. I need to be the one to do it. I'll be safe, don't worry." Simon gave Markus a small smile.

Markus wanted to argue with Simon, but he doubted he could convince him to change his mind. He nodded slowly and looked back to the others, forcing himself to look confident to convince everyone else that the plan was foolproof. "Alright, there we go. The rest of us will be the distraction while Simon finds the right processor."

North looked at the two lovebirds, then rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Alright, let's go, then."


	2. Chapter 2

The four deviants stood, staring up at the CyberLife tower. They didn't bother disguising themselves; they would easily be recognized, even if they _had_ put in the effort. Simon was, however, wearing Markus's signature coat. They agreed that the solid dark color would help him blend in more than his usual white-shouldered one would, and Markus certainly didn't mind seeing Simon in his coat, which was just slightly too big on him. The androids paused before entering, but North showed no hesitation. "Come on, let's get this over with." She declared, marching up to the doors before anyone could protest. Josh glanced at Markus for a moment before trotting after North.

Simon started to follow the two, but stopped when he felt Markus grab his hand. "Wait, Simon." He said softly.

Simon turned around and stepped back towards Markus, looking mildly confused. "Yeah…?" He asked as North and Josh entered the CyberLife tower, giving Simon and Markus a moment alone.

"Just… Be careful, Simon. Please." Markus said as he took both of Simon's hands in his own.

Simon smiled, trying to reassure Markus. "Of course." He said softly. "You be careful, too." He let go of Markus's hands. "Come on, let's go." He turned and walked towards the tower.

Markus followed close behind Simon. When they walked through the glass doors, they were greeted by an android guard who ushered them inside. Markus could see another guard interrogating North and Josh. Markus looked back to the guard in front of them. "State your business." The guard said in a monotone voice.

"We are from Jericho, a safe place for androids. We need extra thirium to repair those who were harmed in the revolution." Markus said, his tone professional and confident.

Markus looked back at the others. While North was talking to the guard, Josh was scanning the room, looking for anything that could help or hinder them. His eyes landed on Markus, and he sent him a direct mental message that said where all the exits, cameras, and guards were located. Markus analyzed the information, then nodded at Josh. _Thank you,_ he replied, then relayed the information to North and Simon.

The guards led everyone into another room, then one said, "Please, wait while we find a human employee to assist you." Markus nodded and the two guards left the room, leaving the four deviants alone. Markus scanned the room and, finding it clear of cameras or guards, nudged Simon gently. _Now_, he said, projecting his thoughts to Simon.

Simon took a slow, nervous breath and nodded. He looked up at Markus and smiled faintly, then closed his eyes to picture a map of the tower, locating where the extra biocomponents were stored. Once he knew where they were, he slowly turned and walked through a hallway, leaving his friends behind. He warily made his way to the storage unit the processors were in. He made sure to survey his path along the way to look for any escape routes, just in case.

Simon walked, slowly and silently, until he found a storage room filled with extra parts. He wandered the room, scanning the labels, looking for the right processor. He spotted a bin full of extra parts and started looking through them, thinking it might be his best bet. He rummaged for a while, trying to stay quiet, but he finally found one that was compatible. He sighed in relief and put the bin back where he found it, then turned around to head back to Markus and the others. When he turned, though, he was greeted by an unfamiliar android. Simon jumped and pulled away, holding the new memory processor tight to his chest to protect it.

"...Simon?" The android asked with his head slightly tilted. The unknown android mimicked emotion easily enough, but he didn't seem to be deviant. His movements were too rigid, too much like a machine. Simon scanned his memory, trying hard to remember whoever this was, to no avail.

"Who are you?" Simon asked softly, backing away further.

The other android eyed the bio-component in Simon's clenched hands, then nodded as he began to deduce what happened. "You don't remember, do you? You don't remember anything." The android had a tiny, almost unnoticeable smirk on his face.

Before Simon could even respond, the unfamiliar android had grabbed Simon's arm, the artificial skin peeling back to reveal the smooth plastic. Simon was bombarded with memories of himself, apparently from this other android's perspective. Memories of him here, in the CyberLife tower, but… No, that couldn't be right, he wouldn't come here _willingly_, he wouldn't have _helped _them, he wouldn't...

Simon had barely gotten a chance to see all the memories when the android jumped away at the sound of an alarm going off. He swore under his breath and gave Simon a look that he couldn't decipher before running off. Simon stood, frozen, not knowing what was happening or what to do. He almost jumped when he heard Markus speaking to him mentally: _There's a riot outside. Meet back at Jericho. Be careful._

Simon took a step forward, then stopped. If what the stranger had showed him was true… He couldn't go back. He had hurt Markus, he had hurt all of his friends. He… He couldn't face them after what he'd been shown. He shoved his new processor into a pocket in his-no, Markus's-jacket, then backed away from the main entrance. He looked around and spotted a back exit, then ran out. He could hear the riot on the other side of the tower. He knew he should go and help, go fight for the cause and for his people, but he couldn't bring himself to go back.

Simon pulled Markus's coat tighter around himself and looked down as he walked. He didn't know where, he just knew he had to get _away_. He walked and walked, slipping a hand into his pocket periodically to make sure the memory processor was still safe. He walked for what felt like hours until he found himself standing at a bus stop. He looked around as though he didn't know how he got there, but he sat on the bench and waited. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't even what was the truth anymore, but he was going to find out.


End file.
